FootballSA’s National Premier League season kicked off on Friday night and to mark the day, The Advertiserlisted its players to watch for 2022.
Among the list was Aladin Irabona from Adelaide City and Allan Welsh from the Adelaide Comets, as well as Greek Australian soccer star, Stavros Bakopanos, from CumberlandUnited.
Who is Stavros Bakopanos?
An aggressive midfielder and defender, Bakopanos will be a highly important player for the Foxes in 2022.
Bakopanos.
While his aggressive style of play can at times lead to yellow or red cards, the club favourite’s flair can equally galvanise his team.
If Bakopanos can string consistent performances together, Cumberland will be a strong test for any opposition.
This upcoming season will be a real test for Cumberland, who’ve proved more than capable of performing at the highest level.
Maria Dimopoulos AM has been appointed the new Board Chair of Safe and Equal and will commence her role in February 2022.
Maria is taking over from Stacey Ong, who has led Safe and Equal’s Board as Interim Chair since September 2021.
Maria said she looks forward to supporting the great work of Safe and Equal, “in particular the partnerships with First Nations communities and organisations.”
Safe and Equal is excited to announce Maria Dimopoulos AM has been appointed Board Chair, commencing this February. @MariaDimopoulo4 takes on Chair responsibilities from Stacey Ong, who has led Safe and Equal’s Board as Interim Chair since September 2021. https://t.co/1cm6BSPpBzpic.twitter.com/Uhq0ig3PyD
“I am committed to governing Safe and Equal with an intersectional feminist lens as a way to expose uneven power relations and structural oppressions, in order to support gender equality and social justice,” Maria said in a press release.
Maria has made significant contributions to policy development, research and community education, including as a member of the federal Access and Equity Inquiry Panel, and as the inaugural Chairperson of the Harmony Alliance – Australia’s national coalition of migrant and refugee women.
Maria was also part of the National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children, which oversaw the development of the First National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children.
The CEO of Safe and Equal, Tania Farha, has welcomed Maria’s appointment.
“Maria is a lauded human rights advocate and champion of diversity and gender equality,” Tania said.
“Her extensive experience and expertise, particularly around the rights and meaningful inclusion of women from migrant and refugee backgrounds in policy and system reform, aligns strongly with our strategic goals and purpose.”
The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by a high-profile neighbour to stop the construction of Theo Maras’ $27 million apartment tower on the corner of Hutt Street and Bartels Road in Adelaide.
According to The Advertiser, food industry identity, Ray Khabbaz, had sought a judicial review against the January 2020 approval of the 16-storey building.
Supreme Court backs Theo Maras.
Khabbaz, who lives next to the planned project, argued the building approval was invalid or unlawful, in part because the 53.9m design was more than double the recommended 22m maximum height for the site.
In June 2019, SA Planning Minister, Stephan Knoll, made interim changes to the Adelaide City Council development plan which allowed “over-height” buildings in circumstances projects met benchmarks such as excellent design and sustainability measures.
Theo Maras.
In his ruling, Justice Greg Parker refused to quash the approval, dismissing all Mr Khabbaz’s grounds of appeal.
Prominent South Australian businessman, Ian Markos, has been named the lead SA-BEST candidate at the state election,The Advertiser reports.
Mr Markos, who is the former chief executive of the Master Builders Association SA, will be joined on the ticket by psychotherapist and former asylum seeker, Dr Keyvan Abak.
If successful, Mr Markos would join current MLCs Connie Bonaros and Frank Pangallo in the Upper House and give SA-Best “the balance of power in the Legislative Council.”
Ian Markos.
“I want to help SA-BEST provide South Australians with a powerful third voice in parliament to ensure we have practical, common-sense solutions to the critical issues impacting our state,” Mr Markos said.
Members of the 22-seat Upper House are elected for eight-year terms, with half of the seats declared vacant at each election.
Ms Bonaros and Mr Pangallo are both at the midway point of their stints.
South Melbourne FC scored an emphatic win on Thursday against Heidelberg United FC before a large crowd. There to watch the game and witness this classic derby was Deputy Opposition Leader, Richard Marles.
Richard Marles was presented at the game with the Original Heritage Jumper signed by current players to thank him for his attendance.
“The atmosphere was electric. I have certainly become a fan of South Melbourne FC, a team that truly reflects the multicultural fabric of our country,” Mr Marles said after the match.
“I aim to be at as many games as possible as football is a sport that I follow and enjoy, and Lakeside Stadium truly is a great place to watch this game and particularly South Melbourne FC. Their supporters get right behind their team.”
The President of South Melbourne FC, Nick Maikousis, expressed his appreciation to Mr Marles for attending.
“It was great for Richard to be at the historic derby which was the season opener. A great time to have Richard with us,” Mr Maikousis said.
Club Chairman, Bill Papastergiadis, also acknowledged the effort made by Mr Marles to be at the game.
“Richard was in Parliament in Canberra until late that afternoon and took the earliest possible flight to Melbourne to be with us. Richard went out of his way to be at the game and his efforts reflect his commitment to our community and to football,” Mr Papastergiadis said.
“He is generous with his time and shows a genuine interest in making a difference. We hope to work with Richard as part of South’s journey to the new National Second Division. They are exciting times and its great that we have key parliamentarian leaders with us during this journey.”
Head of Senior Football, Andrew Mesourouni, noted that the quality of football on the pitch was a great example of the high level of football shown by both teams.
“It was a riveting game and everyone who attended would have been impressed with the quality of the football that was played,” Mr Mesourouni said.
The husband of decorated police officer, Joanne Shanahan (nee Panayiotou), has opened up about how he has been able to forgive the young driver who took her life.
Joanne, 55, and mother Tania McNeill, 53, were killed instantly in April 2021 when Harrison Kitt drove through the intersection of Cross Road and Fullarton Road at Urrbrae, south of Adelaide at 167km/h and struck their cars.
Kitt, 21, was found not guilty by reason of mental incompetence. He was sentence to a 10-year limiting term, monitored by both mental health experts and the Parole Board, while living with his parents.
After the verdict had been handed down last year, Kitt’s mother Kathy said not a day had passed since the “terrible crash” that her family had not thought about the impact on the victims’ families.
“Their losses are unimaginable; we hope they can find it in their hearts to forgive Harry for what happened even though it might be difficult for them to accept,” Kathy said at the time.
In a recent interview with 7 News on Sunday night, Joanne’s husband, Peter Shanahan, said he does forgive the young driver for his actions.
“To forgive someone allows yourself to be as good as you can be and to move on and to make the best of your life, which is exactly what Joanne would have wanted,” Peter, who was also in the car crash but survived with minor injuries, said.
“Jo is still alive in my heart and she will be forever and with my kids. So that’s how I’m going to live my life now.”
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, met with US Vice President, Kamala Harris, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday evening.
Local Greek media have reported that the two discussed all bilateral issues and agreed that relations between Greece and the United States “are at the best level ever.”
Great exchange with @VP Kamala Harris at #MSC2022. The relationship between Greece and the United States is at its best level in our long history of friendship and cooperation. pic.twitter.com/EFXofim3fn
According to a press release from the Prime Minister’s office, Mitsotakis informed Harris that the Greek Parliament will ratify the revised Mutual Defence Cooperation Agreement between the two countries in the coming weeks, and discussed with her prospects for more mutual defence projects.
The defence deal, which was signed on 2 November 2021, greatly expands the scope of the US military presence in Greece, including a base in Alexandroupolis.
On the Greek-Turkish front, Mitsotakis briefed the Vice President on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and stressed the risk of destabilisation due to the escalation in Turkish provocation.
Recent developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis were also discussed.
Firefighters battling for the third day a blaze on a ferry sailing from Greece to Italy recovered on Sunday the body of a passenger listed as missing, Greek authorities said.
It is the first reported fatality after rescuers managed to take at least 281 out of 292 passengers and crew to safety from a fire which broke out on the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia early on Friday.
Firefighters remove a body from the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia. Photo: Hellenic Fire Service/Handout via Reuters.
The ferry had been on its way to the Italian port of Brindisi from Igoumenitsa in Greece when it was engulfed by flames off the island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea.
The victim was found in the cabin of a truck in the ship’s hold and had suffered serious burns. According to Ekathimerini, he was identified as a 58-year-old Greek truck driver by his family.
Firefighters remove a body from the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia. Photo: Hellenic Fire Service via AP.
A total of 10 people, all Bulgarian, Turkish and Greek nationals, are still unaccounted for.
Earlier on Sunday, rescue teams found a survivor, a 21-year-old man from Belarus, at the stern of the ferry. He was able to make his way up to the left rear deck on his own, and told rescue workers he heard other voices below.
The trucker’s first words were “tell me if I am alive,” according to local media reports.
A survivor from the still burning Euroferry Olympia is escorted by Greek Coast guards as he arrives at the port of Corfu island. Photo: Stamatis Katopodis/InTime News via AP.
“The fact that this man succeeded, despite adverse conditions, to exit into the deck and alert the coast guard… gives us hope that there may be other (survivors),” coast guard spokesman, Nikos Alexiou, told state broadcaster ERT.
Firefighters have been trying for days to contain the fire and cool scorching temperatures on the 183-metre ship to allow emergency crews to board and rescue any survivors.
Smoke rises from the Italian-flagged Euroferry Olympia. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
The cause of the blaze is still being investigated and the ferry’s captain and two mechanics appeared before a public prosecutor on Saturday as a judicial investigation was formally launched.
Greek officials have described the incident as the worst maritime disaster since 2014, when the Italian-owned passenger ferry, Norman Atlantic, caught fire in the Adriatic Sea, with as many as 22 people losing their lives.
Each year we celebrate International Lego Classicism Day and this year we look to the many people who have kept history alive through LEGO.
This year we encourage you to get inspired by Liam D. Jensen and the Greek revolution figures which he created to mark the bicentenary of the Greek revolution last year.
Mr Jensen founded this social media event five years ago and since then it has seen worldwide success, with people all over the world sharing their participation online with their historical figures.
To participate, people can share a photo of their favourite LEGO ancient world model, build their favourite classical building with LEGO bricks, or for those who live in a part of the world where there are classical ruins, take a photo of a LEGO figure sitting at a famous ancient site and share it with everyone.
Make sure you don’t forget to add the hashtags #ILCD #ILCD2022 #InternationalLegoClassicismDay #InternationalLegoClassicismDay2022 to join the online community.
Past participants across the world have included school children, libraries, university classics departments, museums and everyday individuals including the British Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Warwick.
This year’s event will be hosted by the University of Sydney at the Chau Chak Wing Museum.
Some of this year’s participants include:
Professor Dame Mary Beard (TV presenter, editor of Times Literary Review A Don’s Life and university professor),
Natalie Haynes (Comedian, author, and host of Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics on BBC Radio 4),
Prof. Michael Scott (Warwick University & TV presenter),
Nathan Sawaya, Art of the Brick (international US artist and author) and the Crews Project, University of Cambridge.
Walking into Five Ways Fish Bar in the remote Queensland town of Ayr instantly takes you back to the good old days of Greek fish and chip shops.
That’s because the owners, Maria and George Vouyioukas, have proudly preserved all the iconic fixtures and cooking techniques they’ve been using at the shop since it opened in 1978.
“We still fillet our fish. We clean the calamari. We clean the prawns. We still have the normal till. I don’t have a computer. We don’t even have online deliveries, there’s no place for that,” Maria tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
“I’m still the old-fashioned fish shop. Up till five years ago we were still cutting our own chips.”
From hate to success:
The petrol station where the fish and chip shop is now housed.
Maria’s journey to owning Five Ways Fish Bar all began in 1965 when her family first migrated from Greece to North Queensland, where her father worked as a cane cutter and her mother picked vegetables.
Maria says her parents didn’t want her to go to university so “they thought it was a good idea if I had my own business and they chose to put me in a fish and chip shop.”
“My parents didn’t know very much English so of course, I was out the front and my parents did the cutting of the fish and the chips and the cooking and I was the business person,” Maria explains.
“But to be honest with you, I hated the fish shop. I cried from the first week they put me into it but my parents put all the money into it and you know, back then you just did what you had to do.”
Maria Vouyioukas at Five Ways Fish Bar.
Eventually, Maria was set up with and later married her husband, George, who turned out to be a cook. Maria’s parents stopped working at the fish and chip shop and George helped out instead.
“We’ve been here ever since,” Maria says with a charismatic laugh. “Even my two children grew up in the fish shop.”
Staying open for business in North Queensland:
After 45 years, Five Ways Fish Bar is now the only Greek-owned fish and chip shop in Ayr.
This is a fact Maria is especially proud of as she’s not only witnessed three generations of people pass through her doors, but she’s also managed to beat the constant challenges which face small businesses in remote areas.
What the fish and chip shop looks like now after 44 years.
“It’s a job where you can’t find a lot of people. When I get very busy because staff is very limited here, my children come and help,” Maria says.
“There’s also been a big change in the people. When we first opened, people would ring up in the morning and put their order in for 6pm, but now they ring up at 6pm and want it straight away.
“We’re lucky though that we’re still a small town. We still have that one-on-one contact.”
In saying this, we just had to ask what’s next for Maria and George and their trusty fish and chip shop.
Maria says they plan to keep it open for a few more years before retiring and taking on more volunteer work.
“I still don’t like it. I can’t say it’s my love,” Maria concludes with her typical frankness.
“But obviously I’m a responsible person and I will not do half jobs. I’ve taken on this responsibility and now I’m more determined to see it to the end.”
